A Surviving Chimpanzee Finds Who Saved Him: Is It All True?
In recent weeks, a video of a surviving chimpanzee finding who saved him has become popular. Today we must be careful about what we share and spread on social networks, because not all the touching stories we find on the Internet are really what they seem.
Limbani, the surviving chimpanzee
Apparently Limbani is a surviving chimpanzee, but he is also a real star: in fact, videos in which he hugs tigers or plays with people have gone viral on social networks. Isn’t it wonderful that a little monkey rejected by its mother lives happily among other species?
The truth is that things are not what they seem, and although the official story is that Limbani was rescued by the Zoological Wildlife Foundation, the truth is that the action of this US foundation is unclear. According to the center, the mother rejected Limbani, who had a respiratory illness, so he was raised away from her.
Rescue or altruism?
The ZWF is home not only to Limbani, but also other species of primates and big cats. What these animals have in common is that they are humanized cubs, whose visit is very expensive: in fact, the foundation charges visitors hundreds of dollars to spend time playing with a lion cub or Limbani himself.
This means that the viral images of Limbani and other animals hosted by the foundation constitute immense advertising for profit. In fact, unfortunately many people are eager to take a photo to post on Instagram in their company.
Another of the curious facts in Limbani’s life is that he is a monkey wearing clothes. The truth is that an organization that is committed to the rescue of an animal like Limbani should raise it in non-humanized environments. So dressing the animal not only promotes the normalization of a gesture like dressing a chimpanzee, but also harms its natural development.
The consequences of fame
Will Limbani live among chimpanzees as an adult? It will be difficult, if not impossible: he grew up among humans and is learning to communicate. So will he live his entire life among humans? This is most likely not the case, as chimps become dangerous and gain great strength during adolescence. This is another example of why you can’t have a monkey as a pet.
What happens when we share a video of a chimpanzee living this way? The result is to spread and publicize the wrong thing, as well as to make normal images of a wild animal in a house, wearing clothes and playing with people. We are helping to spread the idea that a wild animal can live in a place far from where it should live.
Even if it is a chimpanzee rejected by its mother, it is wrong to use it as if it were a freak. It must be said that in many countries animals such as Limbani are kidnapped and any zoo can welcome them and proclaim themselves its savior. But what conditions are offered to these animals? What do centers like the ZWF do with it? These aspects should be investigated.
If sharing this type of content on social networks is also wrong for you, don’t do it. It is important not to share images that include wild animals in humanized settings, such as clothing or on a sofa while hugging a dog.
Share videos and pictures of them appearing in their natural habitat so as not to encourage ownership. Also, remember that any serious organization will raise these animals with other members of their species and not with humans.
